The Tiniest Smile
by Sakaki's Little Sis1
Summary: AU, Toboe has a report due about his parents, but he has none, and decides to do it about his older brother Tsume! Can this warm up Tsume's heart at all? Fluff and sap ahead!


Title: The Tiniest Smile

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolfs Rain.

A/N: I realized I haven't written an Toboe and Tsume fluff in a long, long time so I am now! This is NOT yaoi Tsume/Toboe (not that I have anything against it).

**Important! **This is AU so they're both humans...and brothers...it's easier to write that way.

Detication: To my best bud Katelyn because she's been asking me forever to write one...

IIIII

Toboe and Tsume were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner like any other family would. Toboe fidgeted in his chair, the question eating away in the back of his mind, and the fourteen year old got nervous. He always got nervous easily and he felt a lot of pressure but he knew that he should ask anyway...

"Tsume-Niisan?" Toboe asked looking up at the older man in the chair across from him.

The elder brother, 23 years of age, looked up from his dinner. "What?"

"Umm...well...tomorrow we have this thing in English class, see...a-and...I'm not doing so good in that particular class either..." He mumbled, playing with the hem of his sleeves like a nervous child would.

"And?" Tsume raised an eyebrow.

"I need to do this extra credit and get an A minus or higher on it to get my grade up to a D plus to pass," He waited for his Nii-san to yell at him but he just ended up sounding icy cold.

"You never told me you were failing."

"Well you are so busy all of the time I didn't want to bother you."

"If it means you getting a good grade I don't really care what I'm doing at the time," Tsume said trying to calm down a bit. He could see how upset Toboe was that he was failing already, he didn't need to chew him out about it. "So what's this extra credit thing and why do you need to tell me about it?"

"It would involve you," Toboe answered. "They wanted us to do a report on our parents and what their jobs are and that sort of thing. But since we don't have any parents-" The young boy winced a bit "-I need you to help me. Just some information about you is all."

"Oh. I guess that would be okay."

"And I need you to come in that day too with me."

"Why?"

"Mrs. Keri said that it's important to have the parent there for everyone to see and that she would give extra points to anyone that got their parent to come in."

"She knows that you don't have any parents...right?"

"Yeah. But I told her that I had you and she said a report about my Niisan would be fine. And...it's due tomorrow..."

Tsume gave out an aggravated sigh.

"You did say anything for a passing grade."

"I know, I know. Alright. I'll do it."

The boy smiled happily, "Thanks Tsume-Niisan. You're the best."

"I know."

IIIII

"They had us write down some questions we had to ask for our report that we'd put in there so answer these questions seriously, alright?" Toboe said as he and his Niisan sat down in Tsume's bedroom to do the 'interview' as Toboe called it. "Now I'm supposed to do these answer-question things and give my thoughts on them in the report."

He just nodded, not really listening. Tsume really couldn't believe he was doing this but he did want Toboe to pass in English, so why not just suffer through it? He **really** didn't want to go into his classroom either with all of those hyper rugrats running around with their squeaky voices and greasy hands. He guessed he'd just have to deal with it.

"Question 1: If you had to describe yourself in anyway, what would it be?"

"I dunno."

"You have to say SOMETHING."

"Something," he said sarcastically.

"Tsume..." Toboe growled.

"What?"

"You know, you're already making this hard and we haven't even gotten to the second question yet."

"It's not my fault you aren't passing."

"Don't remind me," Toboe sighed. "Now do I have to repeat the question or are you just going to ignore it?"

"Fine. I'm a hard worker and I'm very strict. As in don't ever get a failing grade again!"

"It's not my fault I don't know my verbs from my pronouns!" Toboe exclaimed, beginning to feel all huffy about it. He ignored Tsume for a moment and wrote down what he said than continued, "Question 2: What's the proudest moment of your life?"

"The day I got out of the foster home and got my own place."

"Really? But..." Toboe shook his head. "Nevermind."

Tsume raised an eyebrow. "What, kiddo? Why shouldn't I be proud that I escaped that stupid place? I swear, foster homes are Gods blind spot."

"N-No! I'm happy that you got out of there, to an extent. Just that you left me there..." admitted Toboe, a hint of sadness seeping through the cover of fake-joy.

"I couldn't bring you with me. You know that. I didn't have enough money to support us both and they wouldn't let me take you either because they're a bunch of idiots."

"Just forget I ever said anything," Toboe said as he wrote down Tsume's answer, excluding the 'God's blind spot' part though. "Question 3: If you were the last human left on Earth, what would you do?"

"Be very, very happy."

Toboe frowned a bit. "Really? Even if I was gone?"

"It would be bitter-sweet, I guess."

"Hmm...alright, last question. Question 4: Who's the most important person in your life and why?"

Tsume was silent for a moment, wondering how to answer that one. He was never really one to tell how he felt about anyone before so he had always been kind of cold to Toboe. Of course Toboe knew how much Tsume cared for him (atleast Tsume hoped) but he never actually said anything about it.

Toboe was still waiting for an answer. "Umm...Tsume-Niisan? Is there something wrong?"

"Huh? No," Tsume shook his head a bit. "Anyway I guess that'd be...you..."

Toboe blushed a bit and gave a small smile. He was much to ecstatic to add, "And why is that?"

"You know darn well why. You're my kid brother. O-Of course I...well, ya' know...care..."

Toboe knew that was all he was going to get out of Tsume so he better not push it. He was content with that answer, wrote what Tsume said down, and looked up at Tsume who had a small blush going too.

"What?" Tsume practically growled.

"I knew that you liked me. You might not act like it but you care! Ha! Look who's the mother-hen! It's Tsume-Niisan!" He laughed at him.

Tsume snapped, "Alright, out of my room and do that report! You better get atleast a B on this and don't make me look bad!"

Toboe ran out of the room, leaving the elder boy with a smirk on his face. _Sometimes I swear that kid just loves to shove things in my face_, he thought. _Though it's good that he heard it because I'm never saying that again! He'll just laugh at me!_

IIIII

Toboe worked hard for an hour or two on that report making sure that Tsume looked good (as he had demanded) but also making sure that his thoughts and true feelings were in there too.

Ever since Toboe could remember Tsume had been the only one there for him. He never had memories of being cradled in his mother's arms, or hugging his dad for the first time - his first memory of was when he was three years old, playing outside in the foster home...

_The small little boy made his way towards the 'big kids' play area. Toboe seemed to be an escape artist making it out of the play pen meant for four and under but he wobbled his way over to where the big kids were. He had never really talked to much of them in fact the only one he was looking for was his Niisan Tsume. He hadn't seen him in a while and wondered where he had went off to._

_"What are you doing here?" asked one of the older kids bitterly, having to be around 7 or 8 years old._

_"I wooking for my Tume-Niian," Toboe said. He couldn't pronounce Tsume's name right just yet, or Niisan, or looking for that matter but he was only three years old after all._

_"Well he's not around here. That jerks so popular with the grown ups he's probably being adopted!"_

_Toboe looked confused. As far as he knew, this was his home, he had never been anywhere else. And what was adopted?_

_"Wha' do you mean?" he asked._

_"He's being given away, dummy," he spat. "God I swear you little kids are such a pain."_

_"I no pain..." Toboe whimpered. "I am good."_

_"Yeah, right, whatever," Another one said with a roll of the eyes._

_Toboe held back his tears. No one had ever insulted him before. And on top of that Tsume was being given away! Was he really going to leave him all alone with these mean kids? Now Toboe really regretted escaping out of the play pen._

_"Niian would never weave me..." He sniffled out. "No! No! No! You wrong! You wrong!"_

_"Sorry kiddo but he's probably right," a girl said with a shrug. "Tsume is pretty popular. I'm not sure why, after all, since he's such a jerk."_

_"No, Tume nice! Tume nice!" Toboe said bravely._

_"Get out of here, ya' brat!" the first bitter kid ordered and lifted up the basketball he had been holding to hit Toboe with it._

_Toboe flinched and felt a great pain in his head as it collided with his forehead. The boy fell onto his butt and immediately started wailing for his elder brother to come._

_"I wan' Tume!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks._

_"That was unnecessary," Tsume said as he walked up from behind Toboe. The three year old looked up through his tears to see his Niisan looking down at him, a bit worried. "How did you get that bruise?"_

_"Huh?" Toboe had forgotten all about being hit._

_"I asked how did you get that bruise," he repeated._

_"He hit me...wif a ball..." He sobbed pointing at the boy who had done the hideous act._

_"Lets see how he likes being hit," Tsume walked up to the kid who was younger than him but that didn't matter at the moment. He punched the boy in the jaw, sending him colliding into the hard pavement. "Don't ever hit my little brother again, got that?"_

_The boy nodded with tears in his eyes._

Of course Toboe remembered it for two reasons.

1. It was the first time someone insulted him and hurt him.

2. It was the first time Tsume stuck up for him.

It was nice to have that memory...

IIIII

That next morning Toboe stuffed his things into his bookbag as Tsume shouted from the hallway that it was time to go. The two rushed out of the house and started driving towards the school.

"Now remind me why I have to go with you first thing in the morning?" Tsume complained. "I'm missing my job for this too so you better be grateful."

"We do this first thing in the morning because Mrs. Keri said it would be the best time for everybody," he explained.

"She should learn to speak for herself," The man growled. He lightened up a bit and asked "So? Did you finish it?"

He nodded. "All finished and ready to be read to the whole class!"

"You mean we BOTH have to stand in front of a class of ankle-biters and you have to read this to the class?"

"First off we aren't ankle-biters and second, yes, it's a class thing. Everyone has to do it."

Tsume paled a bit. He hated being in front of crowds...even if they were a bunch of fourteen year olds...

IIIII

"I'm so glad you could make it," Mrs. Keri, a middle aged woman, greeted Tsume and Toboe at her classroom door. "I hope that you both have a wonderful time."

They walked in to see a bunch of kids with either their mom or dad. For both of them it was kind of a sad sight. They didn't have their mom and dad - They had been taken away so early in life that it just seemed unfair that they got to keep their parents and they didn't. Nobody did say that life would be fair though.

"Alright everyone! Lets do this!" Mrs. Keri announced with a much-to-happy attitude for the morning. "I'm going to draw names from a hat just to make things random. I hope that you all are ready. And remember, have fun!"

"Is she always this happy? I'd have to take crack to be this happy at 8 in the damn morning," Muttered Tsume to his kid brother.

Toboe sweatdropped.

"First up, Linda!"

Toboe let out a sigh of relief. He nor Tsume paid much attention to anyone that went first, just letting out sighs of relief's when Toboe's name wasn't called. Tsume's sigh of relief was more on the inside - on the outside he tried to remain calm, cool, and collect but he couldn't help but sweat a bit. All of these kids were just to much to handle!

"Next is Toboe! And we have a very special case with him, he hasn't brought his parents, he has brought his brother!" Mrs. Keri announced.

_Well atleast she didn't mention..._ Tsume and Toboe thought in unison.

"Sadly Toboe's parents died when he was a young boy so lets give a moment of silence for them."

_I thought to late_, they thought once again in unison.

Of course, being the obnoxious kids and parents they were, they didn't give any silence whatsoever. Seemed that nobody else wanted to be their either.

Toboe gulped and looked at Tsume. "Are you ready for this?" He asked nervously.

"I guess so."

Toboe and Tsume moved forward to the front of the class and at first Tsume thought he might throw up but he remained calm telling himself that they were just kids...and adults...not to mention that they were as loud as a stadium...

Toboe tried to start his report but there were so many shouts he was hardly heard. After a couple more tries he looked as if he were going to burst into tears out of frustration! Well Tsume let out what both of them were thinking at the time...

"Everyone shut the hell up!" Tsume shouted.

All remained quiet.

"Alright. I'm Toboe and this is Tsume, my Niisan and this is my report," introduced Toboe. "Ever since I was one and Tsume was nine we've been on our own. We've been in foster care for a long while until he got his own place, and left me for a bit. It was hard but I knew that one day he would come back for me and that day came - right on my birthday. That was the best birthday present anyone has ever given me which was freedom and the right to be with my Niisan. Not that we are an open family, sometimes I've wondered if he really wanted me around..."

Tsume raised an eyebrow at this but let Toboe continue. _Did he really ever think that? Guess I've been colder than I thought..._

"...but now since I've done this report I know that he really does want me around. Question 1: If you could describe yourself in anyway, what would it be?"

"Answer: A hard worker and very strict. Oh yes, he was right about those two things. My Niisan has worked his butt off to support both him and I for years and hasn't once complained about it. I love my Niisan but he can be very strict, as in not having a girlfriend until I'm 18 and being in bed by 9 and no TV after 8 but it's only because he cares so much."

Tsume smiled inwardly. _Yeah. I guess I am a bit to strict but it's for his own good._

"Question 2: What is the proudest moment of your life? Answer: Getting out of the Foster Home. I can very much agree with this. Foster Homes can get very lonely sometimes and we both know how much loneliness can change a person, but when he got out of there he seemed like the happiest person alive. I didn't really understand that much until I got out of there. He also did it on my birthday as a B-Day present and it's still the best present I ever have gotten."

_I just wanted Toboe to be happy and be out of that stupid Foster Home. Though I didn't know how much it meant to him._

"Question 3: If you were the last human being on Earth, what would you do? Answer: Be very, very happy. Now Tsume-Niisan doesn't mean it in a bad way he's just very anti-social-" This got a few snickers from the peanut gallery and a small glare from Tsume "-though that doesn't make him not a nice person. He can be when he wants to. He'll give assistance to anybody that needs help and loves me for me. He doesn't try to be anyone else nor would I want him to. He's my Niisan, I love him the way he is."

_Hn. Anti-social? I thought he wanted to make me look good!_ he thought grumpily._ He's right and I know it. Especially on the nice person part._

"Question 4: Who's the most important person in your life? Answer: Toboe, which is me because I'm his kid brother. I'll be the first to admit that Tsume-Niisan doesn't show his feelings very well, and he'll admit it too, but I've always known that somewhere deep inside he's loved me. Not just because I'm his brother, but because of my spirit and my personality and for who I am. He's never loved me because he's felt he's have to. It's always came naturally. Even though he doesn't know it at times I see the small things that he does like slip some junk food into my lunch bag, or slipping an extra five dollars into my jeans pocket after doing the laundry than telling me not to be so clumsy as to leave money in my pants next time, but my favorite is when he gives me a hug. Just randomly. It could be just a grab around the shoulders or a full on hug but it's such a nice feeling. It's the small things in life that count."

"Tsume-Niisan is the best person that I know. I aspire to be just like him one day. He's nice, cool, funny, and I love him very much. And I want to take this time to thank him for all that he's done for me... I know that sometimes it's hard to raise a kid but I do my best not be a bother. So, in conclusion, Tsume-Niisan...I love you and I hope that you never change."

Toboe took a small bow and blushed, not even looking up at Tsume's face to see how he re-acted. Tsume was more shocked than anything...

_Toboe is right, it's the small things in life that count, like that report... _Tsume gave a tiny smile on the outside and Toboe saw that, and took pride in what he just did: Making the cold, calculated Tsume give the tiniest hint of a smile.

IIIII **A couple days later...**

Toboe was walking down the hall, just back from another normal day at school. The teasing, poking, the prodding - Toboe wasn't that much liked at his school but he didn't let it get to him.

He was stopped by something that was hanging on the wall. He took a moment to look at it... _That's never been there before... _he thought to himself. _Wait... i-is that...?_

Toboe looked at it closer to see that Tsume had hung up his report (which he had gotten an A!) on the wall in a frame, kept behind glass for all to see that passed down the hallway. Toboe smiled a bit and all that days teasing was swept out of his mind.

Tsume had also been walking opposite of the hall and saw Toboe looking up at the newly hung decoration. When he saw the tiniest smile appear on his little brothers face he took pride in it. Though Toboe didn't know it, Tsume had taken it out of his folder days ago to re-read it again, after having had a bad day at work and needing to know how much he meant to someone.

The tiniest smile could make someone close to you the happiest person in the world: Now both Toboe and Tsume knew it.

IIIII

Sorry if there were any mistakes. I started this at 12:30 AM and finished it an hour later and I don't feel like going through and re-reading it.

Tell me the truth, what did you think? Good? Bad? Cheesy? Un-original? Weird? Stupid? Please review!


End file.
